I was a McDonalds Virgin before Saturday. As I pulled into the McDonald’s (http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/home.html) parking lot in Fairfield (though it could have been anywhere), I knew I was in for an interesting experience.

That Ghostly Figure is Me!

You may wonder what tempted me to go to such a “fine” establishment? This was a writing assignment given to me by my mentor and friend, Jane Stern.

After entering I observed the odd table configurations and the sticky, stained surfaces on which hundreds of people eat on every day.

Not very inviting!

In addition to being dirty, the tables were also sparsely populated. Soon after ordering, my nostrils were bombarded with an odd, nauseating, unidentifiable smell wafting out of the bustling, unorganized kitchen. I also noticed an abundance of machines that seemed to prepare almost every aspect of the meals.

While observing the technology-filled kitchen, I started to hear the snap, crackle and pop of the fryers cooking the McDonald’s fries to an oily perfection.

As I started to take pictures for my article, people began giving me dirty looks. After giving it some thought, I realized their wonderment… no one sees people taking pictures in McDonalds!

Menu.

When I had gotten the whole photo fiasco under control, we started to order. Unfortunately the young woman behind the counter in the stained outfit who was taking out order seemed to be in another world. She spoke in a quiet voice and I had a feeling that she was bored out of her mind with the job she had.

I ordered a Big Mac, a Large Fries, and a Root Beer. The Big Mac contained two floppy, soggy, tasteless patties separated by a few pieces of wilted lettuce, and a soft, spongy bun that kept falling apart.

Inside of the iconic sandwich was a heavy helping of McDonald’s “famous” special sauce. In addition to the sauce, the burger was overflowing with wet chopped onions, crunchy, tangy pickles, and a piece of melted, orange cheese. As I took my first bite of the burger I was not impressed. The burger was almost tasteless and seemed to be a grey, concrete-like color.

After diving into the burger for my second bite, I was hit with a burst of special sauce. This was in fact the only taste of special sauce I had, as a result of its uneven distribution throughout the burger. The sauce tasted to me like an overrated chipotle sauce. A few bites later, the burger was gone, but my appetite was not. I was still ravenous, and a result of the unsatisfying burger, I tore through the fries like a hungry animal.

The Large Portion of Fries were a high point of the meal.

Crunch.

The fries were crisp, crunchy and glistening with a large serving of Canola Blend oil. The fries had been heavily salted and as a result a pitcher of water needed to be at the ready during all moments of the meal. One of the other problems the fries had, was the fact that they became soggy when left out for a short period of time. I brought my burger home so I believe that they may have lost some quality in transit

Luckily, after a disappointing meal like that, I had a chilling, cold, icy Barq’s Root Beer to wash it all down. The value of McDonalds was very inexpensive and that is definitely one of the contributing factors as to why so many people dine there.

As far as restaurant go, McDonalds is not the best. Although this was my first time at a McDonalds, it will sadly be my last time. I would give it 1 Z, Meh.